chapter four
“There is no such thing as coincidence, only hitsuzen[therefore, their paths crossing was already written in stone].” ― CLAMP

As the car glides smoothly down the busy streets Mina relishes the morning drive to school and the soft humming of the driver as he sang along to an old american song she didn’t really know.

This was the peak of her day. Besides her father, the driver her father hired to bring them to and from school was the only other person in her life that didn’t hate her. The elderly man had only shown kindness to her from the beginning and every day the ride to school was something she could enjoy. Even when Chaeyoung sat beside her the younger girl usually ignored her on the way to school and because of this Mina could relaxe.

The ride was always over too quickly however, Mina sighs as she recognizes the coming street that would soon lead to the school.

“Mind if I ask you for a favor young miss?” The driver stops his humming and asks.

Mina glances unsuredly at Chaeyoung. She never knew who he was directing his words to when her sister was beside her since he only used the singular form. She supposes he is speaking to her because she is the oldest but she’s spent most of her time trying to blend into the background that she always let Chaeyoung take the lead. When her sister doesn’t respond to him Mina meets his smiling eyes in the rearview mirror and nods. The old man grins, glancing both ways for other cars or pedestrians before turning the steering wheel to round a corner.

“You see, today will be my grandson’s first day of school. He’s very kind and very handsome but it would be nice if he had friends on his first day. It would be nice if he had someone to show him around I was hoping if-”

“Mister Ahn, I’m going to have to cut you off.” Mina looks to her sister as she interrupts the older man.

“Don’t forget that my father hired you as our driver. Let’s leave our relationship to just that.”

By now the car was slowing down to a stop as they had reached the school.

“You’re right young miss. I shouldn’t burden you with such a request. Forgive me for bringing it up.”

Chaeyoung exits the car before the driver can get out and open the door for her. She slams the door and the driver sets off to drop of Mina at her spot.

“I really stuck my foot in that one didn’t I?” Driver Ahn mumbles, he sighs.

The car stops at Mina’s corner. Mina leans forward and places a comforting hand on Driver Ahns shoulder.

“I’m sorry about my sister Mr. Ahn. She shouldn’t have snapped like that.”

“It’s alright, she has a point. It’s just that I’m really nervous for my boy. It’s been awhile since he’s been home and this is all new to him.”

“If it’s your grandson I wouldn’t worry about him, I’m sure he’ll have a ton of friends by the end of the day.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I know you Mr. Ahn. You’re kind to those when others aren’t and you know how to make someone smile. You’ve done it for me plenty times. If your grandson is anything like you than I bet he already has a line of people wanting to be his friend.”

“You’re too kind young miss. I hope you and my grandson can become friends. You would do good for each other, I know it.”

Mina smiles, she steps out of the car and makes her way to the gate. She felt bad for the old man, she couldn’t tell him that if his grandson did become her friend it would be like signing over your life to the devil. She didn’t have friends for a reason. Anyone who ever tried to get close to her would suffer the same fate as she. Hopefully his grandson was as good looking and charming as his grandfather stated and hopefully they never cross paths. It would only mean trouble for the boy.

Mina makes her way into the school. The floors are dressed in brown tile and the walls are a light beige. Students litter the hallway and they snicker as she passes by.

‘I can’t believe it’s been four years and she’s still wearing that awful mask.’

‘I bet she’s scared to show her face.’

‘She must be so ugly!’

Mina tightens her grip on her shoulder straps, she really doesn’t want to be here. She takes in a deep breath as she makes her way up a flight of stairs towards her classroom.

Laughter sounds along the halls joined with excited conversations and shouts. Mina passes her sister and her friends on the way and the two seniors throw paper balls at her. Mina half walks and half jogs to her classroom. Inside her classmates sit around the room laughing and causing all kinds of ruckus, all except a boy and a girl sitting on a pair of desks and staring into the small screen of his cellphone. The girls face lights up at what she is seeing on the screen and she begins rocking back and forth, imitating what Mina thinks must be a dance.

Mina walks past them and sits at the desk farthest from the front of the room. The desk closest to the back corner and set of windows. She lands in her seat with a thump and takes her her textbooks. A few hours and you’ll be on your way home. It’s just another day. Mina hopes the bell will chime soon so that the day can get started. The sooner they got to work the sooner the end of the day would come.

A wisp of air brushes against her right temple and Mina glances up to see a white paper airplane land not so gracefully on the floor a little ways behind her. At the front of the room a group of boys throw their hands up in defeat.

“Dang it you missed you !”

“Hey shut up I was closer than yesterday.”

Just then Mina’s homeroom teacher walks into the class, witnessing the boys bothering Mina, “You three- detention. I’ll see you here after school.”

“Aw come on man you see what you did?!” One of the boys grumbles, punching his friend on the shoulder.

Mr. Jung places his books on his desk and the class quiets down as he begins going over what they would learn today.

Jung Sang Hoon was the one teacher no student could ever get the better of. Whatever witty retort they had, he had one better. He took the students disobedience and turned it into an advantage for himself. However, he wasn’t cruel by any means and he didn’t belittle the kids or stamp his authority over them . Instead he worked on their behaviour with a light sense of humor and a presence that said he would treat them as equals if they would act like it.

Mina was grateful to the older man who unwittingly always had her back and protected her from the bullies. Whenever he was around the students didn’t bother her some even going as far as treating her respectively. The downside to this, however, was that it angered her classmates so when the teacher disappeared, their tormenting became worse. Mina sighs hoping the boys wouldn’t try to find her later for retaliation.

Ong Seungwoo was nervous to say the least. His heart wouldn’t quit its hammering and he began biting his fingernails as a result of his anxieties. What if his classmates didn’t like him? Sure they liked the unattainable super model Sam Ong but Seungwoo wasn’t the same cool person that appeared on the photos, he was, himself. What if no one liked him after getting to know who he really was? Seungwoo could woo a crowd when he was pretending to be someone else but he had no clue how to make friends. What if he proved to be too stupid to continue coming to the school? Back in America he had been homeschooled and the tutor always went with a pace Seungwoo was comfortable with. What if he was too slow?

He sat across from his homeroom teacher in a large room of cubicles. A few other students were there speaking with their own homeroom teachers and he could tell that they recognized him. He grows even more nervous. Seungwoo glances at his homeroom teacher, a large rounded man with kind eyes, large hands  and a goatee. The nameplate on his desk read Kim Joon Hyun. If Seungwoo was being honest the man looked more like a gym teacher with his big build, black track pants and blue t-shirt with peace and love symbols decked all over the front. A bell chimes and his teacher quits his typing on the keyboard.

He looks up and smiles at Seungwoo, “That’s the start of class, you ready to meet your classmates?”

“If I say no are you still going to make me go?”

His teacher laughs, “You’ll be fine Seungwoo, come on, this is your first day you should be feeling more enthusiastic.”

“Oh I’m feeling something alright. I feel like there are a million butterflies in my stomach trying to gnaw their way out.”

“That young man is the beginning sensations of excitement,” he pauses placing a hand on his large stomach, “Or diarrhea, I can never tell the two apart.”

Seungwoo grimaces at the thought offering the older man a wry smile. Seungwoo didn’t want to know what happened when he misdiagnosed it. He rises and Seungwoo follows trailing close behind him.

Please let today be a good day, he prayed. Please let me at least make one friend…

They make their way down the hall which is now vacant of students. He glances up at the signs above the classroom doors, 104, 105, 106… He was room 108, the class all the way at the end of the hall. As he passes 107 he glances into the classroom taking in all the different students. A girl in the back of the room catches his eye and he stops dead in his tracks.

It was her.

The girl he had saved from being run over by a car. She sat with her head low and shoulders hunched. Her shoulder length black hair looked soft and radiant in the light streaming in through the windows. She wore the same black mask she’d had on that day and although Seungwoo knew the masks were common in Korea, and she could be just about any other girl, something in his gut told him it was her.

He had considered what happened that day all weekend, wondering what she had been thinking about that she had paid no attention to the traffic lights and why she had run away. He had wanted to go after her but his aunt advised him to leave her alone, besides the groceries were scattered all over the sidewalk and he’d needed to help his aunt pick them up. Nonetheless, here she was attending the same school. Seungwoo smiles, maybe they could be friends.

“Hey new kid,” his teacher calls out, Seungwoo hadn’t noticed the man had kept walking, he was now at the end of the hall, “you’re in here,” He jerks his head to the left motioning for Seungwoo to enter through the door he was holding wide open.

Seungwoo steals one last look at the girl, deciding he would seek her out later and introduce himself.

He jogs up to the open door and follows the teacher inside. Mr. Kim walks into the room and it seems like he was expecting perfect order. Instead they were greeted with chaos and madness.Students sat in groups chatting, two boys were wrestling in the front of the room while a girl with wireless headphones danced in the back.

The only quiet ones were a blonde girl with blue eyes that were probably contacts and a blonde boy with a poker face.

“Yah! What the hell are you doing?! Get in your seats-” The kids leaped to their seats giggling at the red faced man, “Sana! Sa- Sana-” The teacher sighs exasperated as the girl in the back of the room continues to dance.

She has her back to the front of the room and is unaware the teacher has entered the room, or even that he is calling her.

“Will someone get her attention?”

The blonde girl picks up her textbook and flings it at Sana, it hits her on the back of the head and she  whirls around glaring, “Hey! Who threw that?!”

“Jeongyeon!” Mr. Kim barks, the blonde smirks, crossing her legs and leaning back into her seat, “Well, it got her attention…”

The teacher sighs, “Take a seat will you Ms. Minatozaki.”

Sana looks around the class and sees everyone is waiting for her, she bows her head sheepishly, bending down also to get the fallen textbook, and walks to her seat which happens to be behind the blonde girls, Jeongyeon’s. Sana smacks the girl in the back with the book and Jeongyeon turns snatching it from her. They glare at each other.

Mr. Kim sighs once again, “Okay kids, I want to applaud you all for embarrassing yourself in front of your new classmate.”

All eyes turn to the front of the room, the kids eye Seungwoo, their eyes judging him already, seeming like they were trying to guess if he was going to be one of the popular kids or an outcast. Seungwoo fidgets under their gaze moving his body weight from one foot to the other. Being a model he’s been at this end of scrutiny before and in any other situation he wouldn’t have been this nervous. But the critics, the photographers, the fans, they had mostly been judging the clothes he wore, this was different. These kids were judging him. Seungwoo’s heart beats heavily in his chest.

“Everyone, meet Ong Seungwoo, he’ll be staying with us for the rest of the school year. I expect you all to welcome him and help him with anything he needs.”

“Yes sir,” The class says in unison.

Mr. Kim turns to Seungwoo, “Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?”

Seungwoo nods shakily clearing his throat, “Um... hello everyone, I'm Ong Seungwoo, I’m eighteen years old and I haven’t been in a classroom since I was thirteen,” he glances around as he speaks taking everyone in, they watch him intently, “I recently moved back from America so I would like to apologize in advance for any burdens I might cause you as I get used to how things work here. I’ll work hard, please take care of me,” Seungwoo bows before the class his heart stammering.

“Oh-keh-ee, nah-ee-seu! Take a seat wherever you like and then we’ll get started on today's lesson.”

Seungwoo took a look around the room once again and decided to sit on the empty table between the blonde boy and a small brunette. As he made his way to his seat he could hear a few kids whisper,

‘Wow he's so handsome!’

‘I know right!’

‘Hey I think I’ve seen him somewhere before- ah where was it? I can’t remember...’

‘Wow, we are really lucky to be in this class, not only is Daniel oppa here but now we have a new hottie as well!’

‘I must have saved the country in my past life.’

Seungwoo nods his head towards the blonde in greeting and the boy bobs his head in return. He sits in the empty desk and takes out a notebook and pen. Well he hasn’t tripped or wet his pants or suffered a heart attack from all stress. So far so good. As the teacher turns around to write on the board Jeongyeon gets up off her desk and strides over to the desk on Seungwoo’s left. Jeongyeon drops her textbook on the girls desk and motions with her head, “Get up.”

The girl bows her head slightly and scurries to sit in the desk Jeongyeon abandoned. The tall girl sits down and turns to Seungwoo with a seductive smile.

“Hi, I’m Jeongyeon,” She whispers.

“Nice to meet you,” Seungwoo whispers back.

“Have I seen you somewhere? You look familiar.”

Seungwoo swallows, he really didn’t want to tell this girl who he was. He wanted to fit in but he knew that once these kids figured out who he was they would view him differently. As if he was somehow better than them even though that was not the case at all.

Seungwoo was just about to deny that she knew him when the girl in front of her dropped a Marie Claire magazine in front of her. Seungwoo’s stomach sinks. The brown haired girl stares at him wide eyed and smiling, her buck teeth peeking out through her lips. Meanwhile Jeongyeon stares at the magazine dumbfounded as to why her friend would do that when recognition paints her face. She picks up the magazine and glances between the front cover and Seungwoo. She turns it over so that he can see it and sure enough there’s a picture of his dimwitt